Willamette Weekend: 14 Things to Do in Portland, November 1-3

[DANCE OF THE DEAD] Contrary to what Wal-Mart would lead you to believe, Halloween wasn’t always about Reese’s Cups shaped like pumpkins and matching superhero costumes for the whole family plus dog. The holiday has tread a widely divergent path since its historic inception as a pagan ritual for the end of the harvest season. Dia de los Muertos, on the other hand, is a time-honored celebration that has remained firmly rooted in Mexican tradition. The Crystal Ballroom’s authentic celebration of the dead beginswith a procession from Southwest Clay Street and Park Avenue, which threads its way downtown and up to the historic venue where face painters, Aztec dancers and rhythmic beats await. Tiburones, a Portland-based music project joining Y La Bamba’s Luz Elena Mendoza and the Shaky Hands’ Nick Delffs, headlines the musical festivities. Thinking about dead folks has never been more fun. GRACE STAINBACK. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. 5:30 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. Free for children 12 and under. All ages.

Cut Copy, Kauf, Larry Gus

[ELECTRO-POP] It takes either complete obliviousness or bold sleight of hand to slip obvious references to Fleetwood Mac’s “Never Forget” into your album without drawing the attention of the nearest lawyer. While Cut Copy’s third LP, Zonoscope, does just that, it never dallies long. And if the expansive percussion of the Melbourne quartet’s upcoming LP is telling of the group’s continued electro-prog wriggling, finding reason to dance won’t be an issue. BRANDON WIDDER. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-2038. 9 pm. $25 advance, $27 day of show. All ages.

Leni Stern Trio

[JAZZ GOES TO DAKAR] Born in Germany, schooled at Boston’s jazz-generator Berklee School and entranced by Africa, singer-guitarist Leni Stern—who also plays ngoni, a West African predecessor to the banjo—follows a long line of Western musicians inspired by Africa, directly or otherwise, and maintains a direct connection via band members Alioune Faye and electric bassist Mamadou Ba. Her previous Portland visit and album revolved around Malian music, but her new album, Jelell, has origins in Dakar, Senegal, where it was recorded. Subjects range from lullabies to rain prayers to songs about Senegalese wrestling. Though Stern’s recessive singing adds little, her combination of jazz improv, African instruments and tunes should satisfy fans of both. BRETT CAMPBELL. Camellia Lounge, 510 NW 11th Ave., 221-2130. 8 pm Friday, Nov. 1. $10. 21+.

Corrido Calavera

[THEATER] As the 18th installment in Milagro Theatre’s annual Day of the Dead series, the original production Corrido Calavera must live up to a long history of outrageous and poignant theater. Chilling, though, this isn’t. As the lights fade in, four skeletons whispering and pushing around two coffins is about as scary as Corrido Calavera gets. The coffins open, bearing a confused Manuel (Enrique E. Andrade) and Amanda (Tricia Castañeda-Gonzales), who demand answers. “The two of you have passed on to the other side,” the leader of the skeletons explains to the couple, but Amanda is in disbelief. “You mean we’re in Mexico?” It’s the first of many near-perfect one-liners, which, though much denser in act one, ensure that Corrido Calavera is one of the funniest plays to hit Portland this season. If the laughs tend to be early in the performance, the message hits home in the finale. Manuel and Amanda, who struggled in their marriage while still alive, must battle the ominous and omnipresent D. Inc.—and its CEO/mascot, Muerte Mouse, dressed and acting like an Adbusters parody of Mickey. The ending is wholesome and happy—isn’t it always in D. films?—but the skeletons, especially the Southern drawling Mariel Sierra and the bombastic Nelda Reyes, make you laugh till you’re dead. MITCH LILLIE. Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., 236-7253. 7:30 pm Thursdays, 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays and 2 pm Sundays through Nov. 10. $15-$26.

Saturday, Nov. 2

Pro-Am Beer Festival

[BEER] Homebrewers team with a dozen of Portland’s best breweries to make one-off brews. Twenty-five dollars gets you a 4-ounce pour of each, and ticket sales are limited so that everyone gets to try all 13 beers. Music from Lost Creek Bluegrass Band and, oh, free pretzel necklaces all around. The Con-Way Warehouse, 2170 NW Raleigh St. 2-6 pm. $25. 21 Tickets atwwbeerproam.eventbrite.com.

[JAZZ] Seattle’s McTuff is asking fans to arrive at this show bedecked in Halloween gear, despite the date. The organ trio, though, is usually capable of summoning demons even without all the livery. Hitting town with sometime sax collaborator and occasional Les Claypool sideman Skerik, the augmented B3 troupe is likely to work its way through a backlog of music drawn from a pair of studio albums already in the can and one on the way, and sundry funked-up recognizable standards. Skerik’s Crack Sabbath, an ensemble as noisy as it is relentlessly creative, is slated to open. Also along for the Joe Doria-helmed evening are Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey’s Brian Hass and Bay Area drummer Scott Amendola. DAVE CANTOR. Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark St., 503-239-9292. 9 pm Saturday, Nov. 2. $12 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.

Foxfinder[THEATER] Putting parables onstage is an iffy endeavor, but there’s no denying the impact of a successfully staged allegory. British playwright Dawn King’s Foxfinder, making its U.S. premiere at Artists Rep, is just that. A futuristic drama about a totalitarian government that sends an agent to investigate a mysterious fox infestation in the English countryside, it’s what Time Out London called a “fascinating dystopian welter of fear, superstition and nature in revolt.” Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. 7:30 pm. $25-$55.

White Lung, Antwon

[PUNK ROCK] White Lung is the Levi’s 501 of punk rock: traditional, timeless, popular. The Vancouver, British Columbia, quartet emphasized its might in 2012 with the release of sophomore record Sorry, establishing itself as perhaps the best band among Deranged Records’ impressive cast (Fucked Up, the Men, et al.). The band creates pummeling, never-stagnant, nearly hardcore tracks. Strangely, Bay Area rapper Antwon shares the bill, having played together at SXSW earlier in the year. MARK STOCK. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 894-9708. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.

Iron & Wine, Laura Mvula

[QUIET LIFE] Before allowing Sam Beam’s Sleepy Time Beard Band—I think that’s the original name of Iron and Wine, though don’t quote me on that, particularly at a trivia night—to carry you off to slumber, arrive early for a quick jolt of mesmeric energy from opener Laura Mvula. The 27-year-old British soul singer’s debut album, Sing to the Moon, braids R&B, pop and the orchestral theatricality expected of a conservatory grad into an enchanting blend that feels at once traditional and visionary. Then break out the blue mats and enjoy your sad-bastard lullabies. MATTHEW SINGER. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.

Sunday, Nov. 3

Destroyer[MUSIC] 2013 is the year Dan Bejar—the patron saint of every socially awkward lit professor in the country—grew disillusioned with the English language and decided to record an EP of European blues sung entirely in a foreign tongue. The resulting Five Spanish Songs is more pure power pop than anything he’s done since the first two New Pornographer records. Tonight, our god performs sans backing band. Hallelujah! Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $15. 21 .

M. Doughty Used to Be in Soul Coughing

Doughty is trotting out the oldies on a tour he’s snarkily dubbed “M. Doughty Used to Be in Soul Coughing.” The title is meant to take the piss out of residual fans who would rather not see him grow up and move on, yet the end result is the same: a live set of Soul Coughing songs! Doughty will be the only original member, but it will certainly be better than watching the other dudes attempt to re-create the hits with the former lead singer of Dishwalla or the New Radicals in Doughty’s place. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., with Moon Hooch, on Sunday, Nov. 3. 7:30 pm. $20 advance, $22 day of show. 21+.

Death

Copies of Death’s lone official 1970s release—an ultra-rare 45-rpm single—made it into the hands of record collectors, and then online. In 2009, the Chicago label Drag City issued the seven songs the band managed to record in its lifetime, under the title For All the World to See. For rock historians, it was as if archaeologists had uncovered another Lucy. However history wants to contextualize it, Death isn’t just a record-geek curio, but a truly kick-ass rock band that always deserved wider recognition. Branx, 320 SE 2nd Ave., with P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. and Vultures in the Sky, on Sunday, Nov. 3. 7 pm. $17. All ages.

Britten’s War Requiem: Oregon Symphony

[GIVE PEACE A CHANCE] One of the great, large-scale, nonliturgical masses, the War Requiem was composed by British pacifist Benjamin Britten, a luminary of 20th-century classical music. He was commissioned to write this piece in commemoration of the consecration of the Coventry Cathedral nearly two decades after the 14th-century original was bombed in World War II. Employing a full orchestra and a boys choir, the finale unites all three with overwhelming results. Verdi’s “Requiem” is an obvious stylistic influence, the standard Latin texts juxtaposed with Wilfred Owen’s wartime poetry. War Requiem has had a long, successful life, with hundreds of thousands of recordings sold, a film of the same name directed by Derek Jarman and a 2002 performance organized by the Crass Collective. NATHAN CARSON. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 248-4335. 7:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 3. $27-$71.